Statement by H.E. Ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council Meeting on the explanation of vote on the draft resolution on the referral of the situation in Syria to the ICC
Mr. President,
We understand the motives of many delegations who supported or co-sponsored
today the draft resolution referring the Syrian file to the ICC. We share their
emotions caused by the crisis in
It is more difficult to figure out the motives of
Then why deal such a blow to P5 unity at this stage? Is it just to try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the Syrian conflict?
One could not overlook that the head of the French diplomacy saw it fit
to take advantage of his recent visit to
It should be pointed out that this damage to P5 unity is inflicted at a
critical point in the efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian
crisis.
An involuntary hiatus created by the resignation of Lakhdar Brahimi should be
used for an in-depth, fair and collective analysis of the situation, for seeking
out any possible reserves with the view to break the vicious circle of
violence. Useful food for thought in this regard is contained in the “political
testament” left by Lakhdar Brahimi to the Security Council on May 13.
This is exactly what the draft Security Council resolution tabled by
a bad peace is better than a good quarrel. And what are our Western colleagues
proposing instead? Talk good for naïve
people that they will be supplying new types of weapons to “good” opposition
groups only? Their list of the “good guys” now includes the “Islamic Front”,
which has openly confessed to a series of brutal terrorist acts, including a
recent one in
It is pursuing the regime change by force in
In this context it leaps into the eye that there is not a single word on
the political settlement and the negotiations process among Syrians in the communiqué
of the latest May 15 meeting of the so-called “London
What justice can one talk about when the overriding policy aims at escalating the conflict? The draft resolution rejected today reveals an attempt to use the ICC to further inflame the political passions and lay the groundwork for eventual outside military intervention.
It should be noted that the so-called “Caesar Report” used to build up tension ahead of the introduction of this draft was based on unconfirmed information obtained from unverifiable sources and therefore cannot serve as a platform for taking such a serious decision.
One cannot ignore the fact that the last time the Security Council
referred a case to the ICC – the Libyan file by its Resolution 1970 – it did
not help to resolve the crisis, but instead added fuel to the flames of
conflict. And after the cessation of hostilities the ICC – to put it
mildly – did not rise to the occasion. The ICC does not contribute to a return
to normalcy or justice in
The United States frequently shows the path towards the ICC to these or those, but it is reluctant to accede to the Rome Statute itself. And in today’s draft the United States insisted on an exemption for itself and its citizens.
Great Britain is a party to the ICC, but it is for some reason unenthusiastic about the exploration that began there of the issue of crimes committed by the British nationals during the Iraq war.
If the United States and the United Kingdom were to refer their Iraqi file to the ICC together, the world would see that they are truly against impunity.
Mr. President, we proceed from the premise that the Geneva Communiqué of June 30, 2012 remains at the core of efforts to settle the Syrian crisis. The Communiqué interprets the principle of accountability and national reconciliation as interrelated, leaving the leading role in this process to the Syrians themselves,
We are convinced that justice in
To state, as the Permanent Representative of France has done today, that the political process does not exist any longer – is simply irresponsible. This is truly – betrayal of the Syrian people.